KB24@CL wrote:Spain is the best TEAM in this tournament..no ifs or buts.

Yes. The difference in Spain and Usa on other selections is that they are the only two choices we have 12 players first level.

I am anxious to see the spain - usa, the machine perfect spain against quality individual USA. Thinking of the future, if i select the Spain not give 100% in the league, has to save tactics, variations etc thinking a possible final because american players are unaware that many variations defensive practised in europe, and that Spain is the best.

The Rubio kid has tons of talent(ugly shooting stroke)I wish Spain Luck. They have the 2nd best talent in the tournament. I will congratulate them when they receive their Silver medal.

"After slamming in an alley-oop as the Suns center(Amare Stoudemire) clung helplessly to his arm, Bynum hopped around like he was on a pogo stick, grinning and nodding in a 'Who’s the man-child now?' sort of way" -Chris Broussard of espn.

The group round game between Spain and the USA is going to be really fun to watch. Most likely they will be firmly set as 1st and 2nd of their group so no matter who wins they won't meet again until the final.

Not overreacting, but that some underestimate since then whether to Spain. Spain is not Chinese, not Angola, not Germany .... Spain this one at a the level of U.S.A, and then the rest comes the teams. I doubt that the Spanish selection is consistent with the silver, have a choice to go for gold, there are many more chances to win that Spain USA a USA win by 20 points to Spain.

two0one7 wrote:Hate to break to you but Spain is not at USA's level. They are a notch down. But yes, they are undoubtedly the 2nd best team.

If you want to believe that USA will win all 20 points, congratulations, but I doubt it much, always going to win everything and have for years without winning anything.

We remember the last world champion in Japan? Spain champion .. U.S.A? Ah yes, 3º.

We remenber Olympic Games in Athenas 2004 ? Yes, U.S.A 3º.

We remenber world champion Indianapolis 2002 ? Yes, U.S.A 6º !

Please, U.S.A favorite? if, for players ... but not as a team, they would wins nothing in a world or Olympic Games since Athens 2000! and a bad day at 1 / 4, semis or final against teams like Spain, Argentina or Greece you leave without medal. This very nice show and give win 30 or 40 to China or Angola, we will see against Spain, Argentina or Greece 1 to play all game.

I do not think that this Spanish team is above the U.S A team . Individually is below, but there is not much difference, especially in some positions - although Lebron is much better than Spaniards Small forwards . As a team, I think this Spanish team is better , with a team without so much individual talent . Can be seen in the results of the last years or even in the games of July before the Olympic Games.

In any case, I seem that to proclaim oneself the condition of favorite is reckless, especially for Spain. It's much easier not having that pressure.

I don't understand the argument really. People are talking past each other on this one. On paper, team USA is better than Spain player by player, hands down, and the favorite by a large margin. Does anyone have doubts about who would win in a best of 7 playoff?

Of course, that's not the real question. The real question is: does being the overwhelming favorite guarantee the Olympic gold? As recent history proves, the answer is no. In a FIBA competition like the Olympics there are many factors that may cause an upset for the USA just like it happened on 3 out of the last 4 major FIBA tournaments: different rules, team play, team chemistry, respect for the other team (which includes proper scouting), and so on.

There's this triumphalist vibe in the US since last year's FIBA Americas tournament, as if suddenly the team had vastly improved from what it was in Athens and Tokyo. Guess what: it has improved significantly, but not to the point where it guarantees a landslide victory over any other team, every time. And you only need one loss in the Olympics in order to go from playing for the gold to playing for 7th place (ask Spain about that).

Newsflash: just as the individual players in team USA have improved, so have players in other teams. There are more NBA players in teams other than the USA in Beijing. But that's not team USA's problem, individual players in team USA have ALWAYS been better since '92, and they still lost games! The missing thing in those upsets was the inability to get those exceptional players to gel into a team, the dismissive attitude that got them into holes they couldn't get out of, the assumption that other teams would fold and cheer as they made windmill dunks.

The good part is the team, as opposed to the fans, has largely understood the message. They ARE a better team than a few years ago, there haven't been ego trips from the usual suspects, they're approaching the competition professionally. Again, this doesn't guarantee a gold, but it makes them much more likely to win than in recent occasions. And by the way, Spain, whose players and coaches (as well as anyone in Spain that knows a basketball is round) know very well that to beat this USA squad they'll need to play exceptionally well and catch the USA in a bad day or otherwise it'll be almost impossible, have understood the message as well.

And I can tell you, I'm as sick as most of you about the triumphalist attitude of some Spanish "fans" and media that were nowhere to be seen when Spain was landing 9th spots but have crawled out of the woodwork after the 2006 win as if we were the best thing to ever grace a basketball court. Newsflash for us too: we lost the 2007 Eurobasket against Russia at home, partly because we thought we had won even before the game started.

fanboyslim wrote:I don't understand the argument really. People are talking past each other on this one. On paper, team USA is better than Spain player by player, hands down, and the favorite by a large margin. Does anyone have doubts about who would win in a best of 7 playoff?

Yes, I have. Team USA is better player by player, but a team is more than that. IMHO, it would be an even series.

fanboyslim wrote:I don't understand the argument really. People are talking past each other on this one. On paper, team USA is better than Spain player by player, hands down, and the favorite by a large margin. Does anyone have doubts about who would win in a best of 7 playoff?

Yes, I have. Team USA is better player by player, but a team is more than that. IMHO, it would be an even series.

You know, I usually agree with you, but in this case I think you're underestimating how much team USA has improved as a team. I'm not discounting the possibility that it all unravels if they find themselves lagging behind in a game (something that hasn't happened yet), but this squad is far tighter as a team than it was two years ago.

I think that hypothetical playoff wouldn't be a US sweep by any means, and Spain would have some chances, but I don't think it'd be even.

In all fairness, I love smack talk as much as the next guy, but I'd like it a bit more rooted in reality that what I'm seeing on the forums lately.

For instance, I expect Pau to school Howard and have him foul out by halftime. Judging by the last time they met in the NBA it's not such a stretch.

There is no dominant team in a tournament of this format. Just like there is no dominant team in the NCAA tourny (no team wins year after year), there is no dominant team in the world tournies either. Spain won one year, but so did Greece, maybe Yugoslavia has a case for dominance the last 30 years. Losing one game knocks you out of gold medal contention, and lots of factors including good fortune play into the fate of one game.

The U.S. is highly favored, but lots of things could bounce the wrong way to cause the U.S. to drop a game.

^ You know folks gotta be panicking in Spain,LoL. If Yao didn't foul out, Maybe that game goes the other way.

"After slamming in an alley-oop as the Suns center(Amare Stoudemire) clung helplessly to his arm, Bynum hopped around like he was on a pogo stick, grinning and nodding in a 'Who’s the man-child now?' sort of way" -Chris Broussard of espn.

basketboy wrote:remember how you boys came talking crap about how the US only beat australia by 11?

"you boys"?

yes, the spain fanboys.

You mean the two of them? Nice stooping down to their level.

This was a wake up call, just as the Australia game should be for the USA. But hey, if the analysis of Spain's weaknesses coming out from this game were limited to "LOLOLOLOL" I wouldn't be worried. Unfortunately this only confirms that any team is vulnerable when another lesser but competent team has a good game and the favorite team assumes it will win by just showing.

Spain did the same thing that past American teams did: overlook their opponent. And they nearly paid the price. China faded at the end, I am not surprised about that, I don't think their players except Yao have that experience down the stretch.

If Yao was his old self, the Spanish team would have lost this game, they were lucky that Yao is only about 70% effective.